CED Core Mission
Through a Community Consultation Council (CCC), the CED Core will leverage strong links with community partners across Delaware, with an emphasis on Kent and Sussex counties, to support a community needs assessment and broad dissemination of research findings with the potential to impact the health of individuals and communities. The CED Core will offer a menu of community-engaged research consultation and training activities for researchers and students.
A mini-grant program designed to create partnerships between DSU and community partners is available to DSU faculty, students, and community partners. The mini-grants will support implementation and dissemination events and products that will communicate health research findings to communities.
COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT (CE) MINI-GRANT INFORMATION
The CED Community Engagement Mini-Grant is designed to initiate, strengthen, or advance partnerships between DSU researchers, faculty, and students and community serving organizations with a goal of expanding and strengthening community engaged research related to addressing health disparities. Click here for more information about the Community Engagement Mini-Grant and the application process:
Community Engagement Mini-Grant
INFORMATION CAMPAIGN MINI-GRANT OVERVIEW
The CED Information Campaign Mini-Grant supports the distribution of research findings related to health equity. Click here for more information about the Information Campaign Mini-Grants:
Information Campaign Mini-Grant
Resources
- Kent & Sussex Community Health Profiles Compendium
- My Healthy Communities Delaware
- CED Core Services, Consultations & Additional Resources
Continuum of Community Involvement
CED Core Leadership
Dr. Dorothy Dillard
CED Core Lead, CED Core Contact
ddillard [at] desu.edu
The overall goal of Dr. Dillard’s research is to address the entrenched social and health disparities in marginalized communities and groups. For over 35 years, Dr. Dillard has conducted sociological research in both the academic and practice environments, gaining a more informed perspective on the need for translational research. She is committed to bridging the gap between research and practice by partnering with community-serving programs and groups to ensure that community perspectives and needs are equitably integrated into research.
As the Director of the Center for Neighborhood Revitalization and Research (CNRR), Dr. Dillard directly and consistently expands and advances translational research through practice research partnerships. As the Core Lead of the CED Core of the IHER Center, she works with faculty and community-serving organizations to advance community engagement in health disparity research. Her current research focuses on the effect of policies on perpetuating systems and practices that contribute to social and health disparities. Her research has been disseminated in both the research and practice disciplines and focuses on practices and policies that reduce the impact of social and health disparities on individuals and communities.
Dr. Cynthia Newton
CED Core Co-Lead, Faculty Contact
cnewton [at] desu.edu
Dr. Cynthia Newton is currently the Director of Partnerships and Programs for the College of Health and Behavioral Sciences, running the Biomedical, Behavioral, and Allied Health Center at DSU. In this role, she forms community partnerships; works with the residents of the low-income community in which the Center is embedded; conducts research; and writes grants to support programs and research. She has nearly 20 years of teaching experience and was a Professor of Political Science at Wesley College prior to her current role.
She has a long-established professional and personal interest in food policy. Her educational background is in Public Affairs, and the policy side of Political Science. Her dissertation research was on obesity as an emerging public policy area. She supplemented traditional academics with certifications in nutrition education, yoga instruction, and personal training. Her current research focuses on food insecurity, and she continues to focus on community engagement. As such, she has given many presentations on various political, health, and social topics.
Mr. Matthew Billie
CED Core Community Liason
Community Contact
mbillie [at] desu.edu
“My name is Matthew Billie and I am a part of the sociology department at Delaware State University. I serve as the community liaison for the IHER CED Core and my role involves interfacing with community organizations to facilitate the forming of research partnerships and initiatives. I am passionate about health equity research and research for the betterment of the human population in general.”
“I have previously worked on identifying health disparities in underserved populations related to the Covid-19 pandemic. I enjoy family time, outdoor activities, and exploring avenues for societal improvements. I look forward to helping improve lives and communities through the IHER Center.”
Ms. Leslie Taylor
Grants Administrator
ltaylor [at] desu.edu
“My name is Leslie Taylor and I am the current Grants Administrator for IHER CED Core. I work directly with Dr. Dorothy Dillard, the Director of the Center for Revitalization and Research Center, as well as Dr. Cynthia Newton, Director of Partnerships & Programs for the Biomedical, Behavioral & Allied Health Sciences Center. My role is to ensure that all the budgets, inventory, records, and data are not only accurate, but grant compliant as well. I also provide administrative support to all grant funded programs.”
“I am fortunate that I have had a myriad of professional experiences that includes state government, the legal field, as well as extensive volunteer work in the community. In my personal time, I enjoy spending time with my church family. I also am embarking on a new and healthier ‘me.’”